House Hunters International - General Discussion

[aghst]

I can tell you that here in the West Coast, they don't have cement construction for homes or other buildings.

Reinforced concrete probably for high rises.

But I've also heard that when they retrofit to make homes more earthquake proof, they used wood beams because wood flexes where as a slab of cement may be more brittle.

[mojito]

On 5/11/2022 at 10:45 AM, aghst said:

Vocal fry?  Always ending sentences with an upwards tone.

?

This woman did not have a vocal fry.  

She did upspeak, however. 

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, Grrarrggh said:

Or old children (eg adults) to cool off quickly. It was a plunge pool if I recall correctly

Oh, I know it was, but when the agent said the house had a pool, I pictured something you can actually swim in. My husband's remark was him being the smart ass that he is.

Edited May 13, 2022 by chessiegal

[aghst]

20 minutes ago, mojito said:

?

This woman did not have a vocal fry.  

She did upspeak, however. 

OK, you're right.

Vocal fry doesn't usually bother me that much.

But this woman seemed like she was consciously ending sentences up.

[mojito]

4 hours ago, aghst said:

But this woman seemed like she was consciously ending sentences up.

I hear two different types of upsweep. There's the one where they sound like they're asking a question (like this woman) and the one where they end each phrase sounding like they're ticking off a list (to my ear, doesn't sound like a question) with more to come. 

Not addressed to you, @aghst, just thinking aloud. The Bonn woman had a more high-pitched voice. When I thought about it, I realized that a high pitched voice with upspeak and a vocal fry are, in a way, opposites. 

10 hours ago, chessiegal said:

My husband commented that the "pool" in house 1 was nothing but an oversized bathtub. You couldn't swim in it.

For me, if you can't swim in it, it's useless. There's no way I'd waste my back yard space on a bathtub or even a hot tub. Me, I still find running through sprinklers appealing and I'm two days older than dirt. More exercise scampering around the yard then jumping in and out of a tiny pool. And your yard needed watering anyway. Although I've never tried one, I suspect the swim spa is a better alternative, and it takes up a lot less space and fewer resources.

[aghst]

I wouldn’t say a dipping pool is completely useless.

On a hot, humid day, maybe it’s like a reverse hot tub.

[Grrarrggh]

44 minutes ago, aghst said:

I wouldn’t say a dipping pool is completely useless.

On a hot, humid day, maybe it’s like a reverse hot tub.

I had the joy of comparing the a plunge pool to running through an oscillating sprinkler several summers back and in the end picked the sprinkler. If you just want to float the pool was okay, but I realised I wanted to do a bit of swimming, diving to the bottom, throwing a ball around etc in a pool, and there was no room for that. Whereas the sprinkler was refreshing and easily catered for games and activities. 

Edited May 14, 2022 by Grrarrggh

[Rootbeer]

On 5/8/2022 at 5:07 PM, amarante said:

I realize these stories are fakety fake and the HH have generally been settled in the location for awhile.

However I just saw an episode involving a move from Florida to the Gold Coast. Neither theoretically had a job at the time of shooting although the wife had some kind of visitor work visa and the husband was a native.

Why in the world did they want to purchase a home instead of waiting a year. Again I realize that the story is fake but according to the storyline neither had jobs and so they didn't know where the jobs might be AND since they had no jobs they were hesitant about the price.

Why not just rent for six months or a year until one is more settled - knows what one's income is realistically going to be. Again I realize that it is a story line but I find it such a bizarre way to go about things but then I also find it odd when people move to another state they have never lived in and buy a home immediately instead of renting and getting a real feel for what the various options were. 

And I am no doubt a selfish person but I also would not pay a significant amount of money in order to have a dedicated guest room. People can either pay for a hotel room or they can crash on my living room sofa bed.

Like others have said, it is probably just a fairy tale for the show. However, in many parts of the world, 2 and 3 year leases are the norm; so; they've got to be fairly certain they're going to be there longer than a year, even if they rent.  If they've got the money to cover the purchase, buying may make more sense in some countries, anyway.

[ArtFossil]

On 5/13/2022 at 3:33 PM, aghst said:

I can tell you that here in the West Coast, they don't have cement construction for homes or other buildings.

Reinforced concrete probably for high rises.

But I've also heard that when they retrofit to make homes more earthquake proof, they used wood beams because wood flexes where as a slab of cement may be more brittle.

The househunter misspoke (a kind interpretation). Nothing is built out of "cement." Buildings may be built of concrete. Cement may be used to join concrete.

Personally, I'd never buy a house he remodeled.

(And [shallow end of the pool here] can't stand his beard.)

Edited May 15, 2022 by ArtFossil

[ArtFossil]

On 5/13/2022 at 4:48 PM, aghst said:

OK, you're right.

Vocal fry doesn't usually bother me that much.

But this woman seemed like she was consciously ending sentences up.

To quote the house hunter: "I'm concerned with the kitchen??? Because I really enjoy cooking???" I hated her for grousing when she only had a $1000 budget. I hated her more because of her upspeak.

Edited May 16, 2022 by ArtFossil

[Grizzly]

Bristol, England. Do Europeans move to our country and demand American charm? What would that look like to them? Guess it depends on which movie captured their fancy when they were a child.

I did like the penthouse. Not so much #2. Why be over budget and have a long walk to everything? Now I want to play badminton 🏸. I think they can be happy at #3. With the money saved, buy a Union Jack and hang it on the wall.

[badgerwoman]

Quote

 

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

Bristol, England. Do Europeans move to our country and demand American charm? What would that look like to them? Guess it depends on which movie captured their fancy when they were a child.

I did like the penthouse. Not so much #2. Why be over budget and have a long walk to everything? Now I want to play badminton 🏸. I think they can be happy at #3. With the money saved, buy a Union Jack and hang it on the wall.

They didn't live in the charming part of Madison, so........

I know who the person works for, their campus looks like Hogwarts met the Hobbits.  He might be happy without "charm".  Also, Madison and Verona (where he worked), are not flat.

[Thumper]

Yes, we know who he works for too!  Very cool that he had the opportunity to work overseas.

Did anyone think those two guys looked alike?

[aghst]

12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Bristol, England. Do Europeans move to our country and demand American charm? What would that look like to them? Guess it depends on which movie captured their fancy when they were a child.

They do if they're on HHI.😄

It seems budget was the big factor, otherwise the penthouse was the best home, though it would be a splurge.

Who knows if the relocation is temporary or meant to be permanent.  I guess if the other guy was going through the licensing process in the UK, which could take a long time, they plan to be there for a couple of years.

I don't know the hotel market in Bristol but even in smaller cities, hotels which aren't even that special can be easily $200 a night after taxes.

So the difference in rent between the penthouse and the house they chose might only pay for 2 or 3 nights.

But who knows if he was serious about having family over.  They will certainly visit them at some point, though Bristol isn't exactly the big draw that London would be.  But it might be part of the HHI template for one house hunter to talk up guest room for visiting family and friend.

[LittleIggy]

11 hours ago, Thumper said:

Yes, we know who he works for too!  Very cool that he had the opportunity to work overseas.

Did anyone think those two guys looked alike?

Okay, what is the company? I want to Google their campus.

[snarts]

5 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Okay, what is the company? I want to Google their campus.

Is it Epic?  That was my guess.  They're the medical software behind MyChart. I know they're based in Madison.

[mojito]

6 hours ago, aghst said:

So the difference in rent between the penthouse and the house they chose might only pay for 2 or 3 nights.

...and the guests could pay the rest!

[Grizzly]

5 hours ago, snarts said:

Is it Epic?  That was my guess.  They're the medical software behind MyChart. I know they're based in Madison.

Epic?! That's what we use at my job. I suppose it's good for medical records but it's awful for billing.

[Thumper]

5 hours ago, snarts said:

Is it Epic?  That was my guess.  They're the medical software behind MyChart. I know they're based in Madison.

Yes, Epic.

[badgerwoman]

9 hours ago, Thumper said:

Yes, Epic.

Yep.

I've never been inside, but parked there for an invent last year.  Holy Smokes.  I thought I was lost because of how long it took to the end of the place to find the surface parking lot.  

Epic is one reason rent around here has gone up, along with housing prices.  It's not the sole cause, but it did help fuel it.   I am glad I bought when I did since my mortgage/real estate taxes are $300 to $700 less than renting what I used to rent.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

23 hours ago, mojito said:

...and the guests could pay the rest!

The only time I ever had my "host" pay for my hotel room was when it was my parents.  They were the ones who decided to build a house with one spare bedroom and five grown children, so it was their problem, not mine. 😀  (And I accrued the hotel points, too.  Take that!)

But if I were visiting my siblings, or friends, I'd never let them pay for my hotel room.

On 5/19/2022 at 10:04 PM, Grizzly said:

Bristol, England. Do Europeans move to our country and demand American charm? What would that look like to them?

Maybe craftsman style houses?  Or mid-century modern?  Did those take hold in Europe?

How about tract mansions? 

On 5/19/2022 at 10:04 PM, Grizzly said:

Now I want to play badminton 🏸.

I took badminton in college, but had to drop it because to pass, you had to be able to hit the birdie against a wall, above a line drawn on the wall, something like 100 times in a row, and even after a couple of weeks, I could do it zero times.

At least with fencing, which I took the semester before, you could pass even if you lost every match (which I did).

ETA:  I loved that one street in Bristol with all the different colored houses.  Talk about charm.

Edited May 21, 2022 by StatisticalOutlier

[seacliffsal]

I liked the Newcastle couple.  Didn't complain about every little feature of the houses with being near the beach (oh and having a garage) being the biggest issue.  They seemed happy with each other and with the houses.  

[proserpina65]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I liked the Newcastle couple.  Didn't complain about every little feature of the houses with being near the beach (oh and having a garage) being the biggest issue.  They seemed happy with each other and with the houses.  

Me, too.  They weren't annoying and they actually seemed to find a good compromise.

[amarante]

On 5/13/2022 at 12:28 PM, Grrarrggh said:

Or old children (eg adults) to cool off quickly. It was a plunge pool if I recall correctly.

It don't think the material matters as much as how the I-beams and connector bits are built. What I recall from GCSE physics was a lesson with toothpicks and marshmallows.....

Based on HH episodes in Florida I thought that masonry was considered to be a very solid construction material for hurricanes. There were some HH who wanted this type of construction - I was picturing cinderblocks or the equivalent type of construction.

In California where there are specific building codes, masonry is not allowed because withstanding seismic grounds forces from an earthquake are different than those from a hurricane winds. If you have older masonry like brick it needs to be retrofitted and I believe even frame construction that is older needs to be firmly "tied" to the foundation. In past earthquakes many of the older brick buildings in East Hollywood crumbled versus framed construction.

High rise construction - at least in LA - is a bit different. I live in a high rise and it is concrete with reinforced steel. It has a lot of internal support structures so that the interior of my condo has beams and columns in certain areas. It isn't terribly obtrusive since the units were more or less built around the beams but if you remodel you will find that there is a beam behind a cabinet or a column at one end of a room. And the ceilings and floors are solid cement which also makes for excellent sound proofing. 

[ML89]

12 hours ago, amarante said:

Based on HH episodes in Florida I thought that masonry was considered to be a very solid construction material for hurricanes. There were some HH who wanted this type of construction - I was picturing cinderblocks or the equivalent type of construction.

Yes. Older houses in Florida are concrete block construction and there's some stucco but most everything now is built with wood frames, with hurricane tiedowns and other requirements, after Hurricane Andrew in '92. As I live near the coast, I'm not sure if there's a requirement that all new homes have that or just those within X miles of the coast. There is still concrete block construction as well.

Very interesting about California construction! I watch Flip or Flop and I wonder when they show cracks and call it settling, is it really earthquakes? I'm not sure if I could live in a tall tower (especially after reading about the ones in NYC, some of which I'm sure I've seen on Million Dollar Listing! Or the late lamented (at least by me) Selling New York).

[amarante]

41 minutes ago, ML89 said:

Very interesting about California construction! I watch Flip or Flop and I wonder when they show cracks and call it settling, is it really earthquakes? I'm not sure if I could live in a tall tower (especially after reading about the ones in NYC, some of which I'm sure I've seen on Million Dollar Listing! Or the late lamented (at least by me) Selling New York).

I think theoretically many homes "settle" even in non-earthquake areas. I have seen some HH episodes where there are older homes and there are cracks or even sometimes in extremely old homes sometimes the floor slopes a bit. I would assume that a competent inspector can determine whether it is just slight and a cosmetic issue versus something wrong with the foundation. I think there is one HH episode where it turned out that the place needed extensive foundation work where they jack up the home and put in additional support beams. As I recall it was an older woman on a limited budget and the place might have been in Rhode Island with a view of water. It seemed like a money pit and poor choice for a single woman on a limited budget. 

For whatever reason I have only experienced earthquakes at home in my condo which is on the 10th floor. It is a weird sensation because the building will sway and in the two strong ones it sways quite a bit back and forth. I am not a seismologist but there seem to be two kinds - one that feels like a strong jolt and one that kind of rolls the land. I have never had major damage and no cracks in the sheet rocks of the interior walls but in one bathroom there was very heavy paint of some kind that had accumulated and that did develop cracks in the paint and kind of peeled away in a heavy layer from the wall itself. But it was cosmetic. 

[aghst]

Almunecar, Spain - Wow they got a lot for a 4 bedroom, with a nice terrace, for under $1000.

That really was the best choice other than the location, so they had to get a car after all, as well as e-bikes.

OK the couple are in their 40s and their children are young.  They don't want to work but do they have enough money for emergencies?  Or college for the kids?

This episode could have been in Mediterranean Life but that show seems to be done and on that show, they really only feature glamours properties with water views.

[cinsays]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

Almunecar, Spain - Wow they got a lot for a 4 bedroom, with a nice terrace, for under $1000.

That really was the best choice other than the location, so they had to get a car after all, as well as e-bikes.

OK the couple are in their 40s and their children are young.  They don't want to work but do they have enough money for emergencies?  Or college for the kids?

This episode could have been in Mediterranean Life but that show seems to be done and on that show, they really only feature glamours properties with water views.

yeah, i was wondering about their reliance on investments to see them thru the rest of their years.  things may work out or they could be broke if whatever they have their money in really tanks

ended up with a nice place, seemed the best choice from those shown

[aghst]

Yeah if they did this move before the pandemic, they might have seen deep market falls in February 2020 and now.

They make it sound like there's a FIRE movement.  No, it's people who earned well but saved well, stuck to a budget and amassed enough savings to retire in their 50s or earlier.

There are websites where they discuss things like budgets, investment strategies and such but it's not some movement of people advocating that every retire early.

In any event, more power to them if they pull it off.  If they have some medical emergencies it could hurt their finances.  Hope they've planned for college for the kids.

But they have no work or family ties to Spain?  So they have or will apply for long-term visas?  Otherwise, they're limited to 3 months.

Since it's a rental, they can just as easily move back to the US if things don't work out but the housing costs must be much lower than Dallas.

Almunecar is east of Malaga, which is considered a gateway to the region.  West of Malaga are the glamorous towns like Marbella, which appeal to some jet set types.

But good to see some affordable coastal areas.

[ArtFossil]

8 hours ago, aghst said:

Almunecar, Spain - Wow they got a lot for a 4 bedroom, with a nice terrace, for under $1000.

That really was the best choice other than the location, so they had to get a car after all, as well as e-bikes.

OK the couple are in their 40s and their children are young.  They don't want to work but do they have enough money for emergencies?  Or college for the kids?

This episode could have been in Mediterranean Life but that show seems to be done and on that show, they really only feature glamours properties with water views.

First of all, I simply don't believe them when they say "we saved enough money [over ten years] to last a lifetime." (Unless they were doing something illegal?) (Or they have an inheritance?) It just doesn't add up. It's not like eating casseroles and shopping at thrift stores is going to set them up for life.

Second, "retiring" in my 40's is my idea of hell. What are they planning on doing with themselves all day, every day?

[BAForever]

10 minutes ago, ArtFossil said:

Second, "retiring" in my 40's is my idea of hell. What are they planning on doing with themselves all day, every day?

Thought the same thing. Definitely leaving out part of the story.  I'm a teacher and summer break is here! So if I have free time. Bad thing is most things I want to do involve $ and/or calories. 

Edited May 26, 2022 by BAForever

[South]

On 5/19/2022 at 11:04 PM, Grizzly said:

Bristol, England. Do Europeans move to our country and demand American charm? What would that look like to them? Guess it depends on which movie captured their fancy when they were a child.

I did like the penthouse. Not so much #2. Why be over budget and have a long walk to everything? Now I want to play badminton 🏸. I think they can be happy at #3. With the money saved, buy a Union Jack and hang it on the wall.

Partner South and I always joke/ wonder about that as well.  Are incoming foreigners thinking “oh, we must have a charrrrming place, just like the one on that lovely American show, Little House on the Prairie”, or “this condo doesn’t really have any American charm.  I had hoped for something like the charm of the place on The Honeymooners.”

[proserpina65]

On 5/25/2022 at 11:02 AM, aghst said:

OK the couple are in their 40s and their children are young.  They don't want to work but do they have enough money for emergencies?  Or college for the kids?

I imagine they're going to have to go back to work eventually, despite thinking they can just permanently retire early.

They were rather whiny about bedroom sizes and kitchens.  I found them quite annoying.  But the places were all really nice, even the small flat in the city center.

On 5/25/2022 at 12:26 PM, aghst said:

They make it sound like there's a FIRE movement.  No, it's people who earned well but saved well, stuck to a budget and amassed enough savings to retire in their 50s or earlier.

According to the websites I checked, there is a movement, although it's a fairly loose one.

On 5/19/2022 at 11:04 PM, Grizzly said:

Bristol, England. Do Europeans move to our country and demand American charm? What would that look like to them? Guess it depends on which movie captured their fancy when they were a child.

I've seen a few HH episodes featuring Europeans who've moved to places like Charleston and New Orleans who do talk about wanting southern charm, but other than that . . .

[Grizzly]

9 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I've seen a few HH episodes featuring Europeans who've moved to places like Charleston and New Orleans who do talk about wanting southern charm, but other than that . . .

So they all watched Gone With The Wind?

[Grizzly]

Jaco, Costa Rica. We want a pool. On second thought, we don't really want a pool. Maybe they should have requested a wading pool. #1 was a nice place but too small with them both working at home. I don't think a bathtub will ease the kids' cultural shock. Ok, she talked about how a bath soothes their son. #2 was gorgeous but clearly a fantasy decoy. The condo meets all their needs if they can overlook the lime green wall.

Sarah looked nice.

Edited May 27, 2022 by Grizzly
Forgot to mention the realtor.

[LittleIggy]

Spain: Nice to see Nick the Silver Fox again! I laughed when the husband said all those stairs would be difficult for the kids and they showed an old lady matter of factly going up the steps. 😆

Costa Rica: Was it just me or in the updates did the wife not seem too thrilled? I would think that balcony would be more dangerous than the spiral staircase. The railings seemed widely spaced.

[Crashcourse]

16 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Sarah looked nice.

She really did, and it was nice to see an agent who was dressed properly for the show.

[mojito]

On 5/25/2022 at 7:22 PM, ArtFossil said:

What are they planning on doing with themselves all day, every day?

Have you checked out their YouTube channel yet? (Surely they have one, right?)

[chessiegal]

Once I retired, I wondered how I ever found time to work. 😁

[eel21788]

19 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

 I laughed when the husband said all those stairs would be difficult for the kids and they showed an old lady matter of factly going up the steps. 😆

This is exactly why we have such a huge obesity problem in the US, and foreigners have much better cardio-vascular fitness than Americans. 

[eel21788]

On 5/25/2022 at 6:22 PM, ArtFossil said:

First of all, I simply don't believe them when they say "we saved enough money [over ten years] to last a lifetime." (Unless they were doing something illegal?) (Or they have an inheritance?) It just doesn't add up. It's not like eating casseroles and shopping at thrift stores is going to set them up for life.

It's not about how much you save. It is about how you invest it. 

Seven years ago, I was given the option by a former employer of an annuity of $110 per month starting at age 55, or a lump sum payment of $27,400 up front right then. I took the lump sum and bought stocks that paid $300 per month in dividends (almost 3 times the annuity they had offered me) while still maintaining control of the principal. I keep using the income to buy more dividend-producing stocks. I'm now up to an income of $1060 per month with a principal of $87,600. I'm hoping by the time I'm 65, I'll have the income up to $2000 per month, which I consider to be a reasonable pension after 12 years of service, and a hell of a lot more than I would be getting if I had gone with the annuity. 

[Notabug]

On 5/20/2022 at 10:35 PM, Grizzly said:

Epic?! That's what we use at my job. I suppose it's good for medical records but it's awful for billing.

It ain't all that for medical records, either.  It is supposedly better than most, but I've used it for around 15 years and it is still difficult to navigate, IMO.

[Grizzly]

13 hours ago, Notabug said:

It ain't all that for medical records, either.  It is supposedly better than most, but I've used it for around 15 years and it is still difficult to navigate, IMO.

And the upgrades are the worst. Changing things that weren't broken while not improving anything. Wonder if that HH was tasked with bringing Epic  to Europe. 

[Notabug]

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

And the upgrades are the worst. Changing things that weren't broken while not improving anything. Wonder if that HH was tasked with bringing Epic  to Europe. 

It's like they put the screen in a blender and just mix it all up for no reason.  I think the programmers get paid by the upgrade.  And, yet, I hear it is far more user friendly than other systems.

Surely, Europe has enough problems without foisting Epic uoon them.

[cinsays]

36 minutes ago, Notabug said:

It's like they put the screen in a blender and just mix it all up for no reason.  I think the programmers get paid by the upgrade.  And, yet, I hear it is far more user friendly than other systems.

Surely, Europe has enough problems without foisting Epic uoon them.

i am really enjoying these discussions of Epic.  I used to work for a small hospital in the IT department and we had a proprietary system that worked well.

The hospital was taken over by a large hospital system in the area and they replaced our system with Epic.

The accounting department people who were my main users hated Epic and found it harder to navigate and get anything done. 

I lost my job due to this change, why train the old dogs on this new system.  Ha.

[tessaray]

No matter how interesting Epic is, unless they are specifically part of the house hunt, it's off-topic. 🙂  Time to move on...

[seacliffsal]

The Costa Rica couple most definitely did not move in order to provide a global experience for their children.  They continually mentioned the "amenities" that their children would expect and the homes/condo they looked at were all in large developments-and I believe the condo was in a resort (and the wife even mentioned how they meet people and they are gone at the end of the week).  I also wonder about their urban "farm" in Atlanta and if they were violating city or HOA codes by having livestock (oh, and way to teach your children the value of animals when they would have had to give all of those animals away [or animal control took them]).  I really wonder what the true story was about their move.  

[TVForever]

Atlanta to Costa Rica:

I was surprised that they chose a condo in a vacation resort as a place to live. Aside from that I thought the condo itself was kinda "meh".

[ML89]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

  I also wonder about their urban "farm" in Atlanta and if they were violating city or HOA codes by having livestock (oh, and way to teach your children the value of animals when they would have had to give all of those animals away [or animal control took them]).  I really wonder what the true story was about their move.  

I had the same thought, that they got zoned out or HOA’d out (I’m sure their neighbor was thrilled about smelly goats and noisy chickens next door -it looked like a duplex!)

Edited May 28, 2022 by ML89

[eel21788]

On 5/26/2022 at 10:33 PM, LittleIggy said:

Costa Rica: Was it just me or in the updates did the wife not seem too thrilled? 

I kept screaming at her, "You want an American house in a tourist town in a foreign country. You're never going to like anything!"